Chapter 1707: Stewed Mutton Full Of Dreams
When Mag saw Leiden and his son finished their food and got up to leave with Harrison as they left, he put down his spatula and walked over, prepared to stop them to talk about their dreams, and, while they were at it, help them fulfill their dreams as well.
“I think they went to buy mutton. I overheard Harrison saying that he wanted to try the orc’s stewed mutton when I walked past,” Miya said when she walked in with the plates. She seemed to have realized that Mag was paying attention to the father-and-son duo.
“Mutton stew?” Mag was slightly stunned, and missed the best chance to go out to stop them. Now, it would seem a little strange for him to leave the entire restaurant full of customers to chase them.
However, since Harrison had already formed a connection with the father-and-son, Mag would not have to worry about not being able to find them.
Harrison would come over to eat every day, basically three meals a day.
“Mm-hmm.” Miya nodded. He looked at Mag curiously, and asked, “What’s wrong, Boss? Is there something wrong with them?
“Nothing. I’m just a little curious.” Mag shook his head with a smile. He seemed to have appeared overly concerned, so he picked up his spatula and continued cooking.
***
Harrison brought Leiden and his son onto his horse-drawn carriage, and they went straight to the market. Thereafter, they chose half a sheep, and Leiden picked some other ingredients and spices. They discussed the location at which they would make the stew, and decided on Harrison’s factory.
There was an empty space in front of his factory’s entrance. He would usually use that space to store his goods, but because the winter storm had caused roads to be blocked, this period happened to be the low season. Therefore, the space in front of his factory was now empty. It was the perfect place to build the stone stove Leiden required.
When they arrived, they alighted. Harrison got the orcs guarding the door to get some wood from the canteen, and help Leiden set up the stone stove.
“Bro, is this okay?” Harrison asked with a smile as he rubbed his hands together.
“Yes.” Leiden nodded with a smile.
“Alright. Then you can begin. This place belongs to me, so you can do whatever you want,” Harrison said with a smile.
Leiden retrieved the pot he tied on their luggage and placed it on the stove. He ignited a flame and shoveled a potful of snow to melt. In the meantime, he started to cut the mutton on another side.
He quickly chopped up the half of the sheep, and used snow to rub and wash away the blood on the meat.
When the melted snow in the pot started boiling, Leiden threw the meat into the pot, followed by the other spices he bought. After that, he rummaged through his luggage for a tree branch, and sliced two tiny pieces into the pot. Finally, he put the lid on the pot and let it simmer.
“That’s it?” Harrison looked at Leiden in shock. It seemed a little too simple.
“It does seem to be the case.” Gjerj nodded slightly. For someone like him who would occasionally drop by the kitchen to watch the cook, stews seemed to just be throwing all sorts of things into the pot and closing the lid after.
“It will take about two hours for the stew to be ready. Sirs, if you are tired or bored, you can return to the horse-drawn carriage. My son and I can stay here to keep watch,” Leiden said awkwardly.
“Alright. Then I’ll walk around the factory and come out for the mutton later.” Harrison nodded, and brought Gjerj along into the factory.
“Do you think it’s good?” Harrison asked Gjerj softly after they entered the factory.
“It’s hard to say. Some say that cooking is a meticulous job, while others say cooking is something simple.” Gjerj shook his head.
“That’s Boss Mag. He could come up with a delicacy as complicated as the ‘Buddha jumps over the wall’, and at the same time, he also let us experience the idiot-proof cooking with the hot pot.” Harrison rolled his eyes with a smile, and said, “But I am looking forward to the taste of this mutton stew.”
“But why would you suddenly want to help them open a mutton restaurant?” Gjerj looked at Harrison curiously. He knew that although his friend was kind, he would usually just stop at treating them to a bowl of mutton soup.
“Dream. It’s such a simple word, but I’ve not heard anyone say it in a long time. It’s as though we are not fit to have dreams the moment we grow up. That’s so puzzling.” Harrison shook his head and laughed.
“Who doesn’t have dreams? They are just carefully kept inside our hearts. Didn’t you aspire to become a writer back then? Is your handwritten autobiography still under your pillow?”
“No way.” Harrison blushed. He hastened his pace, and said, “It’s just a small thing to me, but to them, it might be their livelihood. If they do have what it takes to move me, what’s wrong with helping them?”
“I like that,” Gjerj replied with a smile.
***
“Father, would they really open a mutton restaurant for us?” Moore rubbed his hands and looked at Leiden excitedly.
Leiden threw the wood he had into the fire, and looked at Moore as he solemnly said, “Moore, you have to always remember this. There is no free lunch in this world. If our mutton doesn’t please the two bosses, they will not help us open the mutton restaurant. Besides, that’s really too much to ask for.”
“Mm-hmm.” Moore nodded. He smiled, and continued, “Father, you make delicious mutton. It won’t be a problem at all.”
“I hope so.” Leiden looked at the dancing flames, and a similar flame was reflected in his eyes.
Two hours passed by very quickly. The fragrance escaped the constraints of the lid and wafted around.
“Smells good.” Harrison walked out of the factory. When he smelled the fragrance, his eyes lit up, and he picked up speed.
“Yeah. The fragrance of the meat is quite rich.” Gjerj’s eyes also lit up. It was a little beyond his expectations.
When he heard the praises, Leiden was a little relieved. However, he was not completely relaxed. He only lifted the lid when the two arrived.
A rich mutton fragrance wafted over together with the steam. There was some gravy, and the mutton gleamed with a beautiful red, increasing one’s appetite.
However, the moment Harrison and Gjerj approached, they frowned a little at the same time.
“Sirs, the mutton stew is ready. Please have a try.” Leiden put some mutton into two ceramic bowls, and passed them to Harrison and Gjerj expectantly.
“Alright, we’ll give it a try.” Harrison received the bowl with a smile. He used a pair of chopsticks made from sticks to pick up a piece of mutton. The meat was cut into the size of a baby’s fist, which was really big compared to the mutton in the mutton soup they had earlier in the morning. The color was really enticing, but the only problem was the rank odor that hid within the fragrance.
Harrison took a bite of the mutton. The meat was soft yet not mushy, which made for a very interesting texture. There were various spices added to the stew to bring out the flavor of the mutton. It was way better than any mutton stew he’d had before.
However…
The rank odor lingered around just like a curse. Even though he was trying very hard to force himself to ignore the smell, Harrison was unable to immerse himself in the mutton dish.
Gjerj had roughly the same expression. For a professional chowhound, a slight imperfection could be neglected, but a smell that could affect the whole eating experience like this was very difficult to ignore.
The two finished the mutton in their bowls.
“Sirs, how was it? Is it good enough to open a mutton restaurant?” Moore asked the two expectantly. Since the two bosses had finished the mutton in their bowls, it had to mean that they really liked his father’s mutton too.
Leiden was expectant with a hint of nervousness.
“The mutton is pretty good. It’s tastier than all the mutton stews I’ve had before. The color of the meat is really good, and the texture of the mutton is also great. The spices go together very well, and it was not too strong a taste, allowing the tastiness of the meat to be fully brought out. However…” Harrison looked at the two expectant men, and picked his words carefully. “The rank odor was not very well-treated. That would take off some points from the strength of the mutton. At this standard, even if you had a mutton restaurant, it would be hard to get customers in.”
“How could it be…” Moore’s face fell instantly. He looked at the piping hot mutton in disbelief.
“I’m sorry. I’m still not good enough,” Leiden quickly apologized, although he was also a little disappointed.
“I’m sorry. I say what’s on my mind, and I have to say what should be said.” Harrison felt a little bad, but he had no choice.
“Why don’t we ask Boss Mag?” Gjerj suggested.